Entrance to Holly Village

H. A. Darbishire

1865

Swain's Lane and Chester Road, Highgate, North London

Over the entrance archway is inscribed, "Holly Village Erected By A. G. B. Coutts A.D. 1865." The sculptures on either side are idealised representations of Baroness Burdett-Coutts herself and her governess and long-time companion, Mrs Hannah Brown. Burdett-Coutts holds a pet dog, and Mrs Brown holds a dove. With its "huge indulgence in flamboyant detail" (Davies 315), Holly Village is a unique example of full-blown Victorian Gothic in a residential complex. The wrought iron gate beneath the entrance archway makes it perhaps the first example of a gated housing development.

Photograph and text 2008 by Jacqueline Banerjee.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL.]

Other views

• Holly Village
• House with a tower in Holly Village
• Adjoining cottages in Holly Village
• Carved wooden bargeboards and decorated chimneypots in Holly VIllage
• Details around windows in Holly VIllage
• Exterior of Holly Village, from the street
• Close-up of the sculpture of Baroness Burdett-Coutts

Sources

Camden Council. "Listed Building Details". Viewed 2 May 2008.

Davies, Gill (with John Reynolds, photographer). One Thousand Buildings of London. New York: Black Dog and Leventhal, 2006.

"Holly Village," BBC item broadcast on 27 December 2006, and available here.

Weinreb, Ben and Christopher Hibbert, eds. The London Encyclopaedia. London: Macmillan, rev. ed. 1992.

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Last modified 10 May 2008